Hosting an event on September 25th

Engaging the Community

Planning
The first step is to establish the goal of the activity and the target audience. Community participation will depend on the scale of the event, and the scale of the event will depend on its goals. A smaller or more private event will have a smaller and more specific target audience. For example, a company could hold a raising of the flag event to advertise the French-language services that it offers or to celebrate its francophone clients. Similarly, a daycare could hold a raising of the flag event as a kid-friendly activity.

There are also advantages to hosting larger events. A bigger event with a greater variety of participants could serve as a networking opportunity that would allow the community to work more closely in the future. If the goal is to have an impact on the whole community, a big event will be more successful since it generates more visibility. For example, a celebration that includes different community groups is more likely to get media coverage.

Community involvement
If you are interested in hosting a larger event, the following information will help you ensure community involvement and high turnout.

Resource Who to ask
Volunteers
  • High school students
  • Families in the community
  • Members of community clubs
Speeches/presentations
  • The mayor or another city representative
  • Representatives of various organizations
  • Leaders in the francophone community
Merchandise and distribution
  • Any organization or company wanting to attend the event and promote themselves
Food
  • Local companies
  • Community clubs
  • Families in the community
Participation/spirit
  • Elementary and secondary schools
  • Francophones and francophiles in the community

Make your event inclusive
It is important to hold events that are inclusive and accessible to everyone. A good way to do this is by inviting community leaders who represent minority groups. It is also important that the message of the event is inclusive, from the vocabulary used to the participants invited. Speakers at any event should represent the diversity of the community in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, etc.

It’s also important to adapt your event to the needs of others so that everyone feels welcome. The event should be wheelchair accessible (parking spaces, ramps, etc.), offer various types of food (kosher, halal, vegetarian, gluten free, etc.) to accommodate the traditions and beliefs of all participants, and have interpreters available who speak the languages of participants. It would also be a good idea to have a Quebec Sign Language (QSL) interpreter and a highly visible QSL Franco-Ontarian flag. We also recommend having a resource person to oversee proper accommodations, make sure the event is inclusive and ensure the well-being of all attendees.

Engaging the whole community

In order to maximise public participation at your event, it is important to promote the event beforehand in the community. Promotion could be done by:

  • putting up posters around the city;
  • making announcements at schools;
  • creating an event on Facebook (this will also help predict the number of participants);
  • making a hashtag for the event and promoting it within your community, or using a pre-existing hashtag like #OnFr or #25septembre;
  • issuing a press release;
  • publishing an announcement in local newspapers;
  • advertising the event on local radio stations; and
  • communicating with local organizations and asking them to give out invitations and/or publish an e-press release.
How to hold a raising of the flag event

Permission
You will need permission from the organization or business that occupies the building where the flag will be raised.

Flag precedence
According to the Ministry of Francophone Affairs, if several flags are being flown in the same area, they must comply with the following order of precedence: the National Flag of Canada, the flags of other sovereign nations, the Ontario Flag, the flags of other provinces, the flags of the territories of Canada, the flag of the municipality or city, and lastly the Franco-Ontarian flag.

More information
For more information, consult the rules for flying the National Flag of Canada. These rules are for the national flag, but they can also be applied to the Franco-Ontarian flag.

Best Practices Guide: Franco-Ontarian Day

Take a look at the Guide des meilleures pratiques : Jour des Franco-Ontariens et Franco-Ontariennes [Best Practices Guide: Franco-Ontarian Day], a useful tool and resource bank that will help guarantee that your event is a success.

You can also download the following documents: